Team Up
by AMEDASANI
Summary: This fic has characters loosely inspired by some of my friends. OC moments but I adjusted characters for the purpase of the story. ENJOY
1. Chapter 1

AN: I don't own NCIS although I wish I did. I don't own any characters that belong to NCIS. Characters were inspired by a few of my friends. They know who they are.

**********************************

"We can't keep doing this forever!"

"We're not going to do it forever. Just until he pays us the money he owes us. Then we're out. It'll be like we were never here."

"I never wanted to do this in the 1st place. If my girlfriend finds out…….."

"She won't find out unless you tell her so keep your mouth shut and you'll be fine."

"Shut up. I think I heard something." The three arguing men tensed and waited. Their reward was a large squirrel jumping to another tree branch. They visibly relaxed and continued their argument. They parted ways just before midnight; each going in a separate direction. The man who had never wanted to get involved in the first place found his way home safely while the man who sounded to be the leader made a stop first. Slipping an envelope into the curbside mailbox he looked up at the dark house. There were no lights on but that didn't mean nobody was home. After all, it was nearly midnight. The man who couldn't stop whining made it home but he didn't sleep that night.

All three men were close in age; their birthdays in the same year. The first was about 5'7" with dark hair and a medium build. He thought his life was pretty good: he had a loving girlfriend, a home to go to every night, and a fairly steady job. As he crawled into bed that night he couldn't help but feel that something was going to happen. The second; who had placed the envelope in the box was also dark haired, just a smidge shorter, and fairly skinny but not lacking in muscle. He could get the job done when needed. He was the self proclaimed leader of the group. He came up with the ideas and was the computer wiz. The third man however could be confused for a goon. He was taller than the other two but had the same dark hair. Standing at about 5'9" he had a stocky build with a good deal of muscle that was disguised as bulk. This man, although goonish, was not dumb. He knew that their plans were changing and he wasn't going to be around when they did.

In the wee hours of the morning, nearly 3 a.m. the leader changed his mind about the envelope and their plan and returned to the house.

************************************

It was going to be a good day for Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. All of their cases had been closed and all of his paperwork was done. He looked across the bullpen to where Ziva David sat reading before glancing over to his right. There he saw Special Agent Timothy McGee bent over a paper writing something.

"What are you writing McGemcity?" DiNozzo asked.

"Give me a minute" he replied. DiNozzo stared at his watch and at 60 seconds stood up. McGee glanced at him and relented, showing him what was written on the paper.

"What is this Probie?" Tony asked looking at it.

"The address Gibbs wants us at 10 minutes ago" he replied.

"Right, uh, gear up" Tony said.

"I'll get the car" Ziva said and left the bullpen with her bag.

"I'll get the truck. With me Probie" Tony said and walked the opposite way with his bag slung over his shoulder and his gun attached at the hip.

*****************************************

"Where have you been?" Gibbs asked as they finally arrived at the scene.

"Traffic, boss" Tony lied.

"Come on" Gibbs waved them into the house.

"Wow, what happened in here?" Tony asked.

"What do you think happened, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked. The agents looked around the room. Blood was smeared and spattered on the walls with a trail leading to somewhere else in the house.

"McGee pictures, Tony evidence, Ziva, find the bodies" Gibbs said.

"Bodies?" Ziva asked emphasizing the plural.

"Yea, with all this blood there's gotta be more than one" Gibbs said and walked away.

"Right" Ziva muttered and began to follow the blood trails. She ended up in the backyard where the blood led away from the house. There was a fairly wide section of grass that was bent over streaking from where the patio ended to a small forest that acted as a fence 30 feet away.

"McGee" Ziva called into the house.

"Yea?" he called back.

"I need the camera". McGee appeared in the patio doorway and followed her, taking pictures of the pressed grass and the small traces of blood they found there. They followed it to the forest where someone had tried to cover up their drag trails.

"I guess they didn't count on the grass staying bent" McGee said.

"Who were our victims?" Ziva asked.

"Lieutenant John M. Lawthorne and his wife. At least, that's who lives here, we'll find out as soon as you find the bodies Ziva" Tony said the last part a little louder than was necessary. Ziva moved throughout the small forest following the drag path until she reached a tree.

"Dead end" Ziva said.

"Are you sure?" McGee asked and took a few pictures. Ziva crouched down and looked around her.

"What are you doing?" Tony asked. She pressed her fist into the dirt in a few places. Most of the dirt was packed down from years of hikers stamping on it but when the dirt felt looser than the rest she pulled a trowel from her bag.

"You carry a trowel?" Tony asked.

"Why not? It is one of my favorite gardening tools" Ziva said.

"You garden?" Tony asked and crouched next to her.

"Not important DiNozzo. What have you got Ziva?" Gibbs asked.

"I will know in a minute" Ziva said and began to dig. The dirt was all fairly loose. She didn't have to dig very far before hitting something. She started moving the dirt with her hands and found a shoe.

"We have a body Gibbs" Ziva said feeling that the shoe was attached to a leg. Gibbs called for a few more shovels and Ziva, Tony and Tim began to dig the bodies out. Ducky arrived shortly after they finished uncovering the wife.

"Oh dear, what have we here?" Ducky asked and bent over the Lieutenant.

"Cause of death Duck?" Gibbs asked.

"I've only been here for 30 seconds Jethro! Not even I work that quickly" Ducky replied.

"Let me know" Gibbs said and walked off as he usually did.

"Mr. Palmer, if you would be so kind as to get the gurneys" Ducky said.

"Right away doctor" Jimmy replied.

"What story do you have to tell us?" Ducky asked the dead couple. McGee went back to the scene taking pictures as Tony and Ziva gathered evidence.

"Ziva, take swabs of the blood on the walls" Gibbs said.

"Hey boss. I think I found something" Tony yelled from the kitchen.

"What is it DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

"I think we just found our murder weapon" he said and held up a knife.

"What makes you think that?" Gibbs asked.

"Because I found it in the dishwasher" DiNozzo said "And it was the only thing in there……….And the whole inside of the thing is tinted red. I'm guessing the murderer tried to wash it."

"Ziva, take a swap from the inside of the dishwasher" Gibbs said and left the house to go back to Ducky. The team spent near 2 hours collecting evidence and re-creating the murder. Best they could tell was that the Lieutenant and his wife were killed for no reason. There was nothing they found in the house that would lead them to believe the Lieutenant was involved in anything. Just as McGee was packing everything up and Tony was the taking the last of the witness statements a car pulled into the next driveway. When the women stepped out curiosity got the better of her and she walked over.

"What's going on?" the women asked.

"NCIS! Did you know the Lieutenant and his wife?" Tony asked with his pen poised on the paper.

"Yea. Are they alright? Doesn't NCIS investigate murders?" she asked.

"The Lieutenant and his wife were murdered last night. Can you tell me where you've been?" Gibbs asked approaching them.

"I was at work. I was called in around 3:30 this morning" the women said.

"Duck estimates the murder to have been around 3" Gibbs whispered to Tony.

"What's your name?" Tony asked.

"Sarah. Sarah Miller. I don't understand. Who would want to kill the Presit's?" Sarah asked.

"That's what we're going to find out. Wait, Presit?" Tony asked and looked at Gibbs.

"Lieutenant Presit and his wife just moved in a few weeks ago. I helped them move things around."

"What happened to Lieutenant Lawthorne?" Gibbs asked.

"I'm not sure. His wife only told me that they had a family emergency. They asked me to collect their mail. That was about a month ago. Then the Presit's moved in. I assumed the Lawthorne's sold the house" Sarah said.

"We'll need to see all the mail for the Lawthorne's you have. I'll need you to come with us to the base for questioning" Gibbs said.

"Am I a suspect?" Sarah asked.

"If your alibi checks out then no; you said you were called into work around 3:30. Did you see anything when you left?" Gibbs asked.

"There was a light on but it wasn't very bright. Almost like it was a dying flashlight or something. I know for a fact that the Presit's always turn off all the lights in the house. Mrs. Presit can't sleep with even a little light. She even complains about the street lamps" Sarah said. Just then her phone rang. She looked at the caller i.d. "I'm sorry, it's work. I have to take this" she said and stepped back a bit. "Miller" she said into the mouthpiece. "Yes sir. I'm there right now I just got home……..Of course sir" Sarah hung up her phone and pulled something from her pocket. She slid the badge and case along the belt on her cargo pants. "My boss just assigned me to help you."

"PD?" Tony asked.

"If by PD you mean Private Detective then yes. I was called in this morning when a few men I've been watching were spotted in a park not far from here. They've got some kind of blackmailing operation going on" Sarah said.

"Blackmail? Doesn't sound like it needs a detective" Tony said.

"It usually wouldn't except 2 of them have extensive criminal backgrounds" Sarah replied.

"I'll need their names and anything else you can give us" Gibbs said.

"Anything I have on the case is your to look over. My boss said that I'm to stick with you and help until the case is closed" Sarah said.

"Great" Gibbs muttered. Sarah turned away a little put off at his tone and spotted the mailbox. She narrowed her eyes at it and walked to the curb. She pulled out some latex gloves and examined carefully.

"What are you looking at?" Tony asked.

"The flag is up" Sarah said.

"So" Tony replied.

"Flag up means mail and the mail carrier doesn't come around for another 2 hours. Dust for prints" Sarah said.

"You're not my…"

"Do it DiNozzo" Gibbs said. Tony grumbled for a minute before taking the case McGee attempted to carry past him. He opened it and dusted for prints. They pulled 6 prints from it before Sarah opened it.

"I think you should see this Agent Gibbs" Sarah called as she pulled a manilla envelope from the box. "This changes things" she muttered.

"What does it change?" Tony asked.

"I haven't had to get mail for the Lawthorne's since the Presit's moved in. The letter is addressed to Lieutenant Lawthorne. I'm guessing that whoever put it here didn't know that the Lawthorne's don't live here anymore" Sarah said.

"What makes you think it wasn't delivered by the mailman?" Tony asked.

"No stamp, address or return address. Just a name" Sarah said. Tony received a slap on the back of the head by Gibbs.

"Sorry for not being more observant boss" Tony said.

"Bag it" Gibbs said. Sarah placed the envelope in the bag Tony offered and felt eyes on the back of her head. She turned and looked down the street.

"Duck" Sarah shouted.

"He left already" Tony barely managed to say before she pushed him to the ground. She pulled out her gun and managed to fire a shot down the street at the man who had his gun aimed at them. At the same time he also fired. A slight burst of wind altered both of the bullets trajectories. Sarah's lodged itself in the man's arm before he could turn and flee while his grazed her arm and embedded itself in the car behind her.

"Are you alright?" Gibbs asked.

"Fine; it just grazed me" Sarah said and looked at the small gash on her upper arm. She looked toward where the man had been standing and saw him running away. He was too far to catch. She jogged to where he fired from and picked up the shell still wearing her latex gloves. A man she didn't know offered a plastic container to her and she dropped in it.

"I'm Special Agent Timothy McGee" he introduced himself.

"Detective Sarah Miller" she replied.

"McGee, find out who that man was. You'll find the bullet in that car. I think it's time you can with us" Gibbs said to Sarah.

"I can take care of myself" Sarah assured.

"That may be but until you're alibi is cleared I need to know where you are" Gibbs said.

"I can understand that" Sarah relented. She allowed Gibbs to lead her to his car where she stumbled just a bit.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Yea, just a little dizzy" she replied.

"Your sleeve is soaked in blood" Gibbs noticed. Sarah looked at it and pulled her short sleeve up.

"I've had worse. It can wait" Sarah replied.

"Once we get back to NCIS I want my doctor to have a look at that" Gibbs said and allowed her sit in the front seat of the car. "What?" he asked the team as they looked at him.

"We've just never seen you act compassionate before" Tony said but Ziva elbowed him in the stomach.

"Ziva, get in the car. DiNozzo, McGee bring the truck back and take everything to Abby" Gibbs said.

"On it boss" Tony replied. Ziva got in the car and Gibbs drove off. Tony and McGee weren't far behind.

****************************************

"Hey Duck. Can you take a look at Detective Millers arm?" Gibbs asked as he and Sarah emerged from the elevator into autopsy.

"Certainly" Ducky said

"Mr. Palmer, if you'd be so kind as to lend a hand". They both removed their gloves and cover-ups only to put new gloves on.

"Hop up here" Gibbs said indicating an empty autopsy table.

"An autopsy table?" Sarah questioned but sat herself down on it.

"Let's see what we have here" Ducky said. He pulled her sleeve up.

"How did you receive this wound?" Ducky asked.

"I was shot at" Sarah said. Ducky looked to Gibbs for a clearer explanation but not really expecting to get one; he didn't.

"Come back tomorrow to so I can change the bandage. Until then keep it clean and dry and no infection should set in" Ducky said.

"Thanks Dr. Mallard" Sarah said and stood up.

"Please, call me Ducky" he said.

"Is that why Tony said you weren't at the scene? I told him to duck and he replied that you weren't there" Sarah said.

"Yes, well, Jethro is the only one who calls me Duck" the good doctor said before he and Palmer got back to work.

"Okay then" Sarah muttered more to herself than Gibbs. He led her back to the elevator and up to the bullpen.

"Ziva, find Detective Miller a clean shirt" Gibbs said.

"Alright; come with me" Ziva said and led Sarah through the building. They reached the locker room and Ziva went through a pile of clean t-shirts with NCIS printed on the front.

"Here, this should fit you" Ziva said and handed Sarah a shirt. She slipped it on and removed her bloody shirt in the span of about 30 seconds.

"You have obviously done this before?" Ziva noticed.

"I took gymnastics for most of my life and I didn't like the other girls watching me so I learned how to change quickly" Sarah said. She rolled the bloodied shirt up and tossed it into the garbage can.

"That was my favorite shirt too" she muttered.

"We should get back to Gibbs" Ziva said.

"Right" Sarah said. She pulled the hair tie out of her hair as they walked. The shirt hung fairly loose on her so she tied the back end and tucked it under; the shirt sat closer to her body. With the removal of her hair tie McGee did a double take they re-entered the bullpen. Her hair had previously been in a loose bun but now that it hung loose it reached her lower back. You could see the author wheels turning in his head as he searched for the best way to describe the inspiration for his next character. Even DiNozzo seemed speechless.

"Have you never seen a girl before?" Sarah asked the two speechless men.

"DiNozzo, McGee; shut your mouths" Gibbs barked.

"Shutting my mouth boss" DiNozzo said.

"Detective Miller; Come with me" Gibbs said and picked up a folder.

"Call me Sarah" she said as she followed him.

"Fine; Sarah it's time for some questions" Gibbs said. The rest of the team seemed to know where they were going and followed them. Sarah sat patiently in the interrogation room. After all, she had interrogated her fair share of criminals; and she had nothing to hide.

"Alright Sarah, why don't you start from the beginning; when the Lawthorne's moved out" Gibbs said letting the folder he had drop to the table. Sarah talked for almost a straight hour telling them everything she knew about the Lawthorne's and the Presit's.

"Can I have a drink of water? My mouth is dry" Sarah said.

"I'll get it" Ziva said and left the room. They asked her a few questions before Ziva came back with a bottle of water. Sarah didn't open it right away but started talking again running her hands along the bottle. After half an hour she unscrewed the cap and took a long drink before finishing her tale. Gibbs and DiNozzo left the room.

"Check out her alibi DiNozzo" Gibbs said.

"Sure thing Boss" DiNozzo said and left the hallway. Gibbs entered the other side of the interrogation room and watched Ziva's interaction with Sarah. They talked about Sarah's history as a Detective. Gibbs left them at it until DiNozzo rejoined him.

"Alibi checks out boss. She was called around 0320 this morning and reported in at 0340. She spent 2 hours at the station going over statements from people who claimed to see 3 suspicious looking men the park not far from our victim's house. After that she picked up one of the men at his house and questioned him for three hours. During those three hours of her intense questioning the man spilled his guts about his friends and their blackmailing scheme. The only piece of information she wasn't able to get out him was the name and address of the person being blackmailed" DiNozzo said.

"Good work DiNozzo" Gibbs said and left the room.

"Gibbs" Vance said.

"Yes?" Gibbs asked.

"I've just spoken with Jeremy Thane. Lead Detective and Detective Millers boss. He has guaranteed us her cooperation until she is no longer a help" Vance said.

"You had my full cooperation anyway" a voice said behind him.

"Why'd you let her out Ziva?" Gibbs asked.

"Tony said her alibi checked out" Ziva said.

"I'll need to go to my home to collect the mail and my case files" Sarah said.

"Ziva, you and DiNozzo escort her there" Gibbs said.

"Don't let her out of your site" Gibbs muttered before they could leave. Ziva didn't question him as she grabbed Tony and the three of them left.

"Are you driving Ziva?" Tony asked.

"Yes" she said simply.

"I call shotgun" Sarah said.

"If that's what you want" Tony said and smiled behind her. Sarah got into the front seat as Ziva entered the drivers side.

**********************************8

"Yea Gibbs" Gibbs said answering his ringing phone.

"Hey Gibbs; it's Abby. I checked the blood from the walls and the dish washer and matched it to our victims. I also ran a check just to see which couple we were dealing with. It's the Presit's" Abby said.

"Thanks Abs" Gibbs said and hung up.

***************************************


	2. Chapter 2

The ride back to Sarah's home made Tony sick and thanking the gods when his feet returned to solid land but Sarah seemed unfazed.

"That was awesome" she said.

"Gibbs doesn't want her out of our site" Ziva whispered to Tony as Sarah unlocked her door.

"Right" Tony muttered. They entered behind Sarah.

"Something's different" Sarah said.

"What?" Tony asked.

"I think someone was here" Sarah said.

"Are you sure?" Ziva asked.

"Only one way to find" Sarah said and raced up the stairs. Tony and Ziva raced after her. She entered a locked door and then unlocked a cupboard.

"You have security cameras?" Tony asked.

"Don't you?" Sarah shot back.

"Someone's paranoid" Tony taunted.

"And I have a right to be; look" Sarah said. She had rewound the footage and at 0600 that morning 2 men entered her home through the back door. They poked around the house looking for her and when they realized she wasn't there they waited for 3 hours; around the time that the NCIS team had arrived across the street. They saw one of the men look through the front window discretely and then they hightailed it out of there.

"I owe my life to your team. You scared them away" Sarah said. She reset the cameras and locked the cupboard up again. They left the room and she locked the door again.

"My files are in my office" Sarah said and entered another door. Inside the office were loads of filing cabinets. She opened one and pulled out three folders. She placed them in a backpack and pulled another two folders out of another cabinet. She placed them in the bag as well. DiNozzo stepped out of the room and called Gibbs.

"Hey Boss, she's got security cameras set up around the inside and outside of her house. Two men entered at 0600 and left 0900 when we arrived across the street" DiNozzo whispered.

"That only helps prove the idea that someone from the case she's working wants her dead. Have her pack a bag of necessities" Gibbs said and hung up. DiNozzo entered the room again.

"Pack a bag with the necessities" DiNozzo said.

"Why?" Sarah asked.

"Boss's orders" DiNozzo said.

"Yours or mine?" Sarah questioned.

"Mine" DiNozzo practically growled at her.

"Relax Tony" Ziva said.

"I'm not still under investigation. I can't be" Sarah said.

"Protection" Ziva said.

"I can protect myself" Sarah stated and walked past Tony. They followed her keeping their eyes on the windows. She entered the master bedroom.

"Do you live here all by yourself?" Ziva asked.

"Yea" Sarah said.

"How old are you?" Tony asked.

"You're not supposed to ask a woman her age" Sarah said as she grabbed a bag from under the bed.

"Humor me" Tony insisted.

"I'm 26" Sarah replied. She threw some clothes into the bag before bringing down 2 separate cases. She unlocked them and revealed two guns, three knifes and ammunition.

"Private stock?" Tony asked.

"Of course" Sarah replied. She checked the safety's before holstering the guns. One on her hip and the other as close to her ankle as the hiking boots would allow.

"Where's the gun you pulled earlier?" Tony asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know" Sarah said cheekily. Ziva shot Tony a glare Gibbs would be proud of as they watched as Sarah placed a knife at her other hip, one on the calf opposite the gun and one around her torso under the shirt.

"You're pretty heavily loaded for a Detective" Tony noticed.

"What can I say? I'm like a pyro except I like knifes not fire" Sarah said. She slid a fully loaded extra magazine in each of the pockets close to her knees before placing the rest of the spare ammunition in her bag. She zipped it up and slung it over her shoulder.

"Are we leaving?" Sarah asked.

"Do you have everything?" Ziva asked.

"Everything that I think I might need" Sarah assured.

"Tony, secure the front door" Ziva said as they made their way out. Tony left the house with roaming eyes and his hand on his gun. Ziva joined him and they covered Sarah's back as she locked the door. All three of them were alert without giving anything away as they approached the car.

"Can I drive?" Sarah asked.

"No" Ziva replied. Since she couldn't drive she loaded herself into the front passenger seat which suited Tony just fine. They made it back to NCIS in 10 minutes even though she lived 25 minutes away.

"Ziva, I think you became my new best friend" Sarah said as the got out of the car.

"Why is that?" Ziva asked.

"I can make it to work in 10 minutes when I have too and work is 20 minutes away from my house" Sarah laughed. They heard screeching tires and all three instantly put their hands on their guns. The screeching tires drew closer. They pulled their weapons out and ran for the stairs. They reached them just in time but had no need to worry as the car with the screeching tires was just an over zealous man who was trying to leave. They all broth a sigh of relief and replaced their weapons. They left the stairwell and took the elevator. Once back inside the bullpen Sarah placed the five folders she had taken from her home on Gibbs's desk.

"These three are the backgrounds I have for the men involved in the blackmailing case" Sarah separated them

"This one is all the information I have about the blackmailing case and this one is the file I put together detailing Lieutenant Lawthorne and his wife. Here is all the mail I collected for them" Sarah said and dropped three bunches of about 30 letters each on his desk.

"Tony, Ziva go through the files. McGee, look over the mail. Sarah, leave your bags behind McGee's desk and come with me" Gibbs said. Sarah placed her bags behind McGee's desk and followed Gibbs.

"Where are we going Agent Gibbs?" Sarah asked.

"Abby's lab" he said and they entered an elevator.

"What have you got for me Abs?" Gibbs asked as they entered the lab.

"Ughh; like magic Gibbs! Do you have my energy?" Abby asked. Gibbs placed a large cup on Abby's desk that Sarah hadn't even noticed. Intrigued by the lab and the music that was playing the glanced around.

"Alright, so the finger prints you gave me belong to Lieutenant Lawthorne, his wife, Lieutenant Presit, his wife, Alexander Quil and Cal Stanton. Now, Alexander is….."

"The mail man" Sarah interjected.

"Uh, yea. Who are you?" Abby asked.

"Detective Sarah Miller. Alexander Quil is the mailman. He has never been in trouble with the law a day in his life. I have his file. Cal Stanton is one of the men in the files I just gave you Agent Gibbs. He is also the man who failed to shoot me correctly and he was in my home this morning" Sarah said. Gibbs just looked at her and then back at Abby.

"She had a little more information than I did but in my defense I was not at the scene today" Abby said.

"Do you have anything else Abs?" Gibbs asked.

"Of course I do. The manilla envelope you found…….."

"I found" Sarah interjected again.

"Right, the manilla envelope Detective Miller found in the mailbox was covered with Stanton's prints as was the letter inside it. The letter was a typical 'pay up or we'll kill you' only I'm guessing by the fact that the letter was found still in the mailbox the recipient didn't get it and was killed anyway" Abby said.

"Thanks Abs" Gibbs said and walked out. Sarah made to follow him but Abby stopped her.

"Don't interrupt me again. He might not bring me a Caf-Pow next time" Abby said.

"Caf-Pow? Abby, what's your last name?" Sarah asked.

"Scuito" Abby said.

"Abby Scuito? Sarah Miller, remember we met at the Forensics' conference a few years ago?" Sarah asked.

"Yea, wow, I'm surprised you remember me" Abby said.

"It's hard to forget you Abby. You were the only one who understood my………"

"Sarah" was yelled from the hall.

"Gotta go. I'll be sticking around for the next few days. We should catch up" Sarah said as she headed out of the lab. Abby merely sipped her Caf-Pow and went back to work.

****************************************8

"Did you hear what happened?"

"Yea, that damn detective stuck her nose in it."

"If she's involved now we're in deep shit. She's got our records. She knows our faces."

"You think Sherlock? All we have to do is eliminate her then she won't be able to help the feds" Cal said.

"And who's gonna do it? You? You couldn't even shoot her properly the first time."

"Shut up. If the wind hadn't of picked up I would have got her" Cal insisted.

"Well instead she got you."

"Ahh, watch how tight you're making that thing. I still need feeling in my arm you know" Cal yelled.

****************************************

Amanda's cell phone rang as they entered the bullpen.

"Miller" she said as Gibbs sat at his desk.

"Right, thanks" she said and hung up.

"Frank Brody; the man I interrogated this morning was just seen with Cal Stanton and Greg Alderman" Sarah said.

"You let him go after the interrogation?" Tony asked.

"I had to. He hadn't killed anyone, his prints had never been found on any of the blackmail and he doesn't have a criminal record. The only connection he had to the group is their blackmailing him. He's not a bad guy; just was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got roped into it. I've had a man tailing him discretely and he just called. Cal is injured and their planning on killing me" Sarah said.

"Safe house boss?" Tony asked.

"No, bring this Frank Brody in. I want to talk to him" Gibbs said.

"What am I supposed to do?" Sarah asked.

"What do you think you should do?" Gibbs asked.

"I'd put out a bolo on Cal and Greg. Neither has been to their listed addresses in the last 3 days" Sarah said. Gibbs picked up his coffee and walked away.

"Does that mean yes?" Sarah asked Tim.

"Yup" he said and handed her the phone. He dialed the number for her and she successfully put out the bolo.

"So, what are you doing?" Sarah asked and leaned on the back of McGee's chair.

"I checked the e-mails to and from each of the three men. The e-mails between Stanton and Alderman are encrypted" McGee said.

"Oh, here" she said. She bent around him and typed a few things. Almost instantly the encrypted messages were displayed.

"How'd you do that? That took less than 10 seconds" McGee said drawing the attention of Ziva and Tony.

"Someone beat McGeek on the computer?" Tony asked.

"I studied computers independently for awhile. I read the books and yadda yadda. Course, that class I took on computer science didn't hurt" Sarah said and noticed that Tony was still staring at her.

"Aren't you supposed to be finding Frank?" she asked. Tony scrambled for his phone. Sarah laughed to herself and picked up her cell.

"Hey Dean. I need you to pick Frank up and bring him to NCIS……..Yes, right now………no it can't wait for 10 minutes…….I don't care, just do it" Sarah said

"He's coming in Tony". Tony set his phone down and shot a glare at her.

"Is he always this childish?" Sarah asked McGee.

"Yes" Ziva answered for him "It is probably because you are a woman and you are sitting on McGee's desk."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sarah asked.

"Tony is…. Hey" McGee said as Tony threw a wad of paper at him.

"DiNozzo. Is there a problem?" Gibbs asked.

"Of course not boss" Tony said and sat up straighter.

"Where's Brody?" Gibbs asked.

"He should be here any minute" Sarah said and heard the elevator ding. She looked at her watch and grinned before turning around to face the elevator. Frank Brody, escorted by Detective Dean Powel entered the bullpen.

"Detective Miller? I thought I was done being questioned" Frank said.

"Special Agent Gibbs would just like to ask you some questions Frank. Tell him the truth and you'll be fine" Sarah assured him.

"This way" Gibbs said picking up a folder and leading Brody to the back elevator.

"So, Sarah, have you considered my offer?" Dean asked and leaned on McGee's desk.

"Of course I have Dean" Sarah said sweetly.

"And?" Dean asked.

"I would rather kill myself with a spoon than go out with you" Sarah answered.

"Oh come on Sarah. Just one date. I'll be good" Dean said following her like a puppy as she headed for the elevator he had entered through.

"Dean, if you don't leave me alone I'm going to shoot you" Sarah said. She pushed him into the elevator and pressed the 1st floor button and the door close button and slipped out.

"What was that all about?" Tony asked.

"The guy has been hitting on my since I joined the squad. I just can't take a hint" Sarah said.

"I could kill him with a paperclip. No one would know" Ziva offered.

"So could I. And I could probably get away with it. I took a few forensic classes in college" Sarah said. She noticed McGee was bent over writing something quickly.

"What are you writing Tim?" Sarah asked.

"Nothing" he said a little too quickly.

"Uh oh. Someone's got a new character. I would run if I were you Sarah" Tony said and leaned back in his chair propping his feet up on his desk. Sarah noticed how Tim's ears turned red.

"You write?" Sarah asked.

"Crime novels" Tim answered.

"Are you published?" she asked.

"Yes, he is. Deep Six: Rock Hollow was his most recent" Ziva said for him.

"No way. I knew I recognized you. Thom E. Gemcity. I love your books. They inspired me to write" Sarah said.

"Really?" Tony asked surprised. Sarah thought she detected a hint of jealousy in his tone.

"Are you jealous Tony?" Amanda asked.

"No. Why would I be jealous of McGemcity?" Tony asked.

"Because I'm paying more attention to him than you" Sarah said.

"You should be paying attention to the case detective" Gibbs said.

"Sorry sir. How's Frank?" Sarah asked.

"He wants to talk to you. And don't call me sir" Gibbs said. Sarah went down to the interrogation room. Ziva, McGee, Tony and Gibbs all followed. She entered the room that Frank was sitting in.

"What do you need Frank?" Sarah asked.

"If Cal and Greg find out that I've told you everything they're going to kill my girlfriend. You have to protect her" Frank said.

"I'll see what I can do" Sarah said.

"No, you have to protect her" Frank said.

"What's in it for me?" Sarah asked and sat across from him. She knew that Gibbs and his team were on the other side of the window.

"I can tell you where they're meeting" Frank said.

"I don't believe you. Besides, I have people following them. We'll find out where they are" Sarah said and stood up. She made for the door.

"Wait" Frank stopped her.

"Yes?" Sarah asked and turned around.

"Please, I'm begging you. I love my girlfriend. I don't want anything to happen to her" Frank said.

"I'll make sure she's safe if you tell me where they're meeting" Sarah relented.

"They've been meeting in an abandoned warehouse on the docks. I'm not sure what they've been planning there because I was only involved in the blackmailing but I'm pretty sure it goes above and beyond that" Frank said.

"You're right Frank. It does go above and beyond that. I'll make good on my end of the bargain. You sit tight" Sarah said. She left the room pulling her cell phone from her pocket. She entered the room on the other side of the window. Sarah dialed as she watched Frank through the window.

"Are you seriously going to offer his girlfriend protection?" Tony asked.

"I'm a woman of my word. Besides, you don't know Frank like I do. I've been following him and the others trying to catch them in the act for near 5 months. It's pissing me off that it's taken this long and that two people had to die. I'm not going to let another innocent person die because of it" Sarah said. "This is Detective Miller. I'm ordering two officers to protect Jane Thomas. She lives at……." And the rest of the group drowned out the conversation between Sarah and the other person on the line.

"Boss?" Tony asked.

"Shared jurisdiction. We work together. Rule 38" Gibbs said simply. Everyone else seemed to nod in understanding. Sarah turned around.

"Alright. I have two detectives headed out to protect her. Frank stays here and we go check out this warehouse" Sarah said. Ziva, Tony and McGee looked at Gibbs.

"What did I just say?" Gibbs asked.

"Rule 38 boss?" McGee answered unsurely.

"What are you all waiting for? Gear up" Gibbs said.

"Rule 38?" Sarah asked as the others rushed out.

"Your case, your lead" Gibbs said. Sarah gave this only a small thought as she rushed up to the bullpen to grab her bag.

"Here" Gibbs said and tossed a heavy Kevlar vest and hat at her.

"What's this for?" Sarah asked.

"We don't know what we'll find at the warehouse and they'll probably be on the look out for anything that says Detective on it" Gibbs said.

"Everyone down to Abby's lab to get wired up" Gibbs said. Sarah followed the group to Abby's lab where they received earwigs and mic's.

"Do we have a layout of the warehouse McGee?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes. There is only one warehouse on this particular dock. It has 3 doors; A main entrance on the east side with a backdoor on the west. Also, a large rollup door on the south side. There are two rooms, the main room, accessible through the east and south doors and a storage room through the west door which also has a door" McGee said.

"Right, DiNozzo, Miller, with me. We'll take the east door. Ziva, with McGee and take the west. Ziva, you drive" Gibbs said.

"On your six boss" Tony said as he and Sarah followed him to the elevator. Ziva and McGee headed to one car while Gibbs, Tony and Sarah headed to another.

"Here, you take shotgun" Tony said and opened Sarah's door.

"Thanks Tony" Sarah said and got in. Tony quickly got in the back and Gibbs sped off.

"You're my hero Gibbs" Sarah said as they arrived at the dock the same time as Ziva and McGee.

"How so?" Gibbs asked checking to make sure his weapons were in their correct places.

"Well, you drive like a madman" Sarah said as she herself found a better location for the knife she had under her shirt and the gun her department had issued her. She placed the gun at the small of her back and the knife she strapped to her thigh not caring that it was in plain sight "Not to mention the respect your team has for you. It's more respect than I've ever received. Being the commanding officer of your team and being at least 3 years younger than everyone did not do me any favors. Say nothing of the fact that I risked my life multiple times for my ungrateful team" Sarah said a hint of loathing evident in her voice.

"Respect is earned" Gibbs said simply.

"I know. Maybe they never respected me because I could never respect them" Sarah said more to herself than Gibbs. He looked over at her.

"We ready?" Gibbs asked into the mic.

"Ready boss" McGee answered for him and Ziva.

"Good to go" Tony said.

"Ready as I'll ever be" Sarah said. Each pulled their issued gun and approached the door quietly.

"On three" Gibbs said into the mic. "One, two" and he kicked the door in. "NCIS" he and Tony shouted. Sarah thought she heard McGee and Ziva shout it as well. The shout from both teams startled the two men sitting on crates in the middle. Almost instantly they pulled guns and aimed them at them.

"Put the guns down" Sarah yelled at them. She saw Ziva sneak up behind the larger of the two and nodded. Sarah saw it before anyone else and gave her a slight nod. She tapped the man on the shoulder and he turned. Ziva kicked the gun from his hand as he tried to fight back. Amanda saw Cal's finger move against the trigger.

"Put the gun down Cal" Sarah shouted.

"You should have had the decency to get shot this morning" he yelled at her. Just as he pulled the trigger the larger man; Greg; bumped into him. The gun that had been aimed at her head moved down a few degrees. The bullet was sent flying at her. She heard 2 gunshots unsure who's gun they came from; all she could see was the bullet that was coming for her. She had heard that in the moments before you die your life flashes before your eyes. That didn't happen; what did happen was a very painful feeling in her injured arm and the wind being knocked out of her. She stumbled backwards dazed and fell to the ground.

"Detective Miller" the voice seemed to be very far away. She was disoriented; she must have hit her head.

"Sarah? Sarah can you hear me?" Gibbs asked. She felt hands running along her but they felt weird. She felt a pressure on her chest and then it was lifted. Someone was pulled something over her head.

"Sarah, answer me" she recognized the voice as Gibbs.

"Help me sit up" Sarah said. She felt a hand on her back pushing her up gently and then someone crouched behind her to keep her upright.

"Call Ducky and an ambulance just in case" Gibbs told McGee. He was crouched next to her and Ziva was cuffing Greg Alderman so that left Tony being the one who held her upright.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Gibbs asked.

"3" Sarah replied.

"Alright" Gibbs said. She felt pressure on her right arm in two places.

"What happened?" she asked seeing one of Tony's hands and one of Gibbs hands putting pressure on the bloody patch of sleeve and on her bare forearm.

"Stanton got nervous and when he shot at you Aldermen knocked in to him. The bullet grazed your arm and landed in your Kevlar vest. You either reopened the wound in your upper arm or he fired twice quickly. You fell and hit your head. You were out for about 30 seconds" Gibbs explained.

"That would explain why I felt like I was kicked in the chest" Sarah said.

"Don't move until Ducky and the ambulance get here" Gibbs instructed.

"I'm fine" Sarah insisted. She attempted to get up but as she stood a wave of dizziness hit her.

"Maybe not" she said and began to collapse. Tony caught her and lowered her to the ground slowly.

"If you insist on getting up then get your bearings first" Gibbs said. She took a few slow steady breaths until the room remained in one place and with Tony and Gibb's help she stood. Once standing they held her in place until she stopped swaying.

"Okay. I'm good now" Sarah said.

"Who shot him?" Sarah asked nodding toward Stanton.

"I did. I don't like it when people shoot at my team. Temporary or not" Gibbs offered her a smile. Sarah smiled back and saw Ziva lifting Greg off the floor only to hand him over to an agent Sarah didn't recognize.

"I need air" Sarah said. Gibbs nodded to Tony who kept a hand on her uninjured arm and helped her out. Once outside she broth in the fresh air.

"Anyone else injured?" Ducky asked.

"No" Tony said.

"Bring her this way" Ducky said. Tony helped Sarah over to the medical examiner truck and sat her down on the tailgate.

"How are you feeling?" Ducky asked.

"Better than before" Sarah said. Tony told Ducky what had happened and he examined Sarah's wounds.

"You will need stitches my dear" Ducky said.

"Fine. Can you do them?" Sarah asked.

"I can but I think you should go to the hospital" Ducky said.

"I'd really rather not" Sarah said.

"Alright then my dear. I can stitch you up when we get back to NCIS" Ducky said. The scene was cleared and Sarah found herself sitting in autopsy. Her arm was partially numb so that Ducky could stitch up the wounds she had received. He wrapped bandages around her forearm and her upper arm before placing a sling over her head and neck and sliding her arm into it.

"Is this really necessary?" Sarah asked.

"If you wish to heal properly then yes" Ducky said.

"Thanks Ducky" Sarah said. She got off the table and kissed him on the cheek before leaving him to his actual work. She headed up the elevator and entered the bullpen. She stopped near Gibbs desk and he looked up.

"It was nice working with you" Sarah said.

"You too" Gibbs replied. Sarah moved over to McGee's desk. "Keep me updated on when the next novel is coming out. I'll have to be the first to buy it. Then maybe I'll track you down and hold you at gunpoint until you sign it" Sarah said with a small laugh.

"You take care of yourself" McGee said and shook her hand.

"You too" she said and kissed his cheek. Next she moved across the bullpen to Ziva's desk.

"You're very talented Ziva. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I'd trust you to keep me alive even in the middle of a war zone" Sarah said and shook her hand. Ziva only nodded before Sarah moved over to Tony's desk.

"Thanks for helping me when I was hurt Tony" Sarah said and moved around his desk. She held out her hand and he took it. She pulled him up and wrapped her uninjured arm around his neck in a hug. She felt him hesitate for a second before hugging her back.

"You're a good agent. Gibbs is lucky to have you" Sarah said. She turned away and stopped at the end of the bullpen. She hesitated and turned around to face them. They were all watching her. She had her gear bag slung over her shoulder and held her other bag in her hand.

"If any of you three ever get tired of Gibbs your welcome on my team anytime" Sarah said addressing Tony, Ziva and Tim.

"Same for you Sarah. If you ever want a change of pace you're welcome here" Gibbs said.

"Thank-you Agent Gibbs" Sarah said and turned to leave. The elevator doors dinged and out stepped the Lead Detective of her office.

"Detective Miller, give me your badge, your I.D. and your gun. What you did today was reckless and foolish. You could have ruined all of our hard work" the man said angrily.

"Excuse me?" Sarah said angrily.

"I was given an order by YOU to work with Special Agent Gibbs and his team. I did as I was told and followed my gut. In doing that I……" Sarah said barely keeping her voice in check when Gibbs intervened.

"Is there a problem here?" Gibbs asked.

"None that concern you Agent Gibbs. Your gear, Miller" the man demanded. Sarah's whole body radiated anger and hatred toward the man. She slammed her badge, gun and I.D. into his hand.

"Don't ask for a recommendation" he said before turning away. Gibbs gently moved the hand Sarah hadn't even realized was on one of her back up gun off of it.

"Damn him" Sarah said angrily. She refused to let herself cry over the bastard who had made her life a living hell. Gibbs looked up toward the Directors office to see him leaning on the railing. He nodded and Gibbs gently took the bags from Sarah's hand. He held onto her elbow and led her to the empty desk by his. He placed her bags on the floor and sat her down in the chair.

"Welcome to the team" he said and sat down behind his desk.

THE END

AN: expect a sequel.


End file.
